DOBSON — A number of events are planned from now through April at Surry Community College.

n The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival will present “Shakespeare To Go: A Shakespeare Primer” on Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It will be held in room A-121. This will feature two 45-minute compilations of scenes and soliloquies from Shakespeare’s most well-known writings.

“Comedy is the name of the game for 2009. This 45-minute program is designed to take students on an inclusive, whirlwind tour across the Bard’s canon. Scenes, soliloquies and songs will highlight Shakespeare’s clowns, fools, lovers and misguided comic characters of all stripes. ‘The Shakespeare Primer’ is a valuable first contact with Shakespeare’s words, works, and characters,” according to www.ncshakes.org.

n In celebration of Black History month, jazz singer “Lea” will perform blues and jazz on Feb. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will be held in the Knight’s Grill Cafeteria in “A” Building. Included in her repertoire will be “Song of the Civil Rights Movement.” Lea is a new recording artist on the national music scene. In addition to “Best Female Vocalist” and “Best New Artist” nominations from the Washington Area Musician’s Association, Lea’s career has captured the attention of major record labels, concert promoters and campus program directors across the country.

According to Garth Ross, program coordinator for The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, “Lea’s music goes beyond folk, to the soulful frankness of blues and melodic complexity of modern jazz.”

Lea has performed in England and throughout most of Europe. A recent tour in Germany included appearances with jazz ensemble, “Black & White,” and with British pop trio, “Indigo Wild.”

n Gertrude Graham Smith, internationally acclaimed artist/potter and instructor at Penland School of Crafts, will present a day-long, hands-on pottery workshop in Room E-162 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 6 and a lecture following on April 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. in A-121. Lecture topics include the complexities of both creating and marketing one’s artwork. To participate in the hands-on workshop on April 6, contact Richard Montgomery at 386-3369.